If Ben Had Had His Way

If Ben Had Had His Way

A Symposium in Honor of the 300th Anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's Birth

Join us for this special symposium organized to mark the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth. Distinguished panelists will include Rebecca Bushnell, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences; Peter Conn, Professor of English; Peter Stallybrass, Annenberg Professor in the Humanities; Michael Zuckerman, Professor of History; and Tal Raviv (Engineering '09), the first-prize winner of the inaugural PHF-Weiner undergraduate student essay contest, "If Ben Had Had His Way."

2006 PHF-WEINER ESSAY PRIZES

Prizes awarded as part of the Symposium ceremonies

First Prize:Tal Raviv, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences '09, Chemical Engineering."Spark"

EXHIBITIONEducating the Youth of Pennsylvania: Worlds of Learning in the Age of FranklinOn display in the Rosenwald Gallery, 6th fl., Van Pelt Dietrich Library, University of Pennsylvania, January 17, 2006–May 31, 2006

Drawing on the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other important area repositories, this Penn exhibition organized by Penn's Rare Book & Manuscript Library explored the originality and relevance of Franklin's 1749 educational manifesto, "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania [sic]." Who received an education in Franklin's day? Who were the teachers? What did students learn? What did they read? Exhibits included Franklin's original manuscript with his ideas for the Junto; a never-before-seen Franklin imprint; women's samplers; German fraktur calligraphy; a horn book; photographs of period schoolhouses from the Delaware Valley, and much more.